June Adele Bell, age 64, of Three Rivers, passed away suddenly on Feb. 16, 2013 at Borgess Medical Center. She was born on April 24, 1948 in Three Rivers, MI. the daughter of Kenneth and Helen (Carson) Kauszler. June has been a life time resident of Three Rivers. She began her career at the First National Bank as a note …

A 38-year-old St. Joseph County man was sentenced to serve up to 70 years in prison for criminal sexual conduct. Prosecutor John McDonough said charges against Mendon Township resident David Mathews involved two teenage girls, one of them a family member. Mathews was sentenced Friday in 45th Circuit Court in Centreville. He had pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree …

A gaming system, DVD movies and other items were stolen from a residence during a break-in reported last week in Sturgis Township. State police investigators said no one was home at a residence in the 69000 block of South Nottawa Road when it was burglarized between 5 p.m. Tuesday and 6 p.m. Wednesday. Details about how access was gained into …

State Rep. Matt Lori on Friday is sponsoring coffee hours in Dowagiac. Lori, a Constantine-area resident, will meet with residents at the Cass County Council on Aging in Front Street Crossing, 227 S. Front St. in Dowagiac from 9:30 to 11 a.m. Lori said the venue is an informal setting where he can provide a short legislative update and listen …

The Three Rivers Fire Department was called last week to a second-floor residence in the downtown district, where a passer-by called the 911 dispatch center to report seeing smoke inside the residence. Personnel were dispatched to 2 N. Main St. at 2:25 am Friday, as the caller also reported hearing smoke detectors going off. With assistance from the Three Rivers …

Michigan State Police at the Coldwater post have arrested a total of seven registered sex offenders who failed to verify their addresses during the last quarterly verification period. Sex offenders are required to verify addresses in accordance with the Registration Act. They face being charged with a high-court misdemeanor for failure to do so during the 15-day registration period. The …

John Charles Baird, age 55, of Three Rivers, passed away on Thursday, Feb. 14, 2013 at the Heartland Health Care Center. He was born on Feb. 18, 1957 in Hastings, MI. the son of Alvin and Lucille (Hotrum) Baird. John has been a long time resident of this area. He was self-employed in the landscaping business and spent almost twelve …

Delton Bell, 74, of Mottville Township, White Pigeon, died Friday, Feb. 15, 2013, at Goshen Hospital in Goshen, Ind., following a short illness. He was born March 14, 1938, in Lumberton, N.C., a son of Malcolm and Libby Mae (Locklear) Bell. He had been a resident of the Mottville area since 1955. On Nov. 3, 1956, he married Phyllis C. Carper in LaGrange, Ind. …

Marlyn L. “Peg” West, age 81, of Sturgis, passed away Thursday, Feb. 14, 2013, at Sturgis Hospital. She was born Nov. 28, 1931, in Sturgis, a daughter of the late William and Augusta (Schlorff) Allen. Peg had been a resident of the Sturgis area all her life and was married to Lloyd West for several years until this marriage ended …

Joe Whetstone,age 81, of Constantine, passed away Thursday, February 14th, 2013 at Three Rivers Health Hospital. He was born in Elkhart, IN on December 16, 1931 to John and Susie (Hostetler) Whetstone. Joe proudly served in the Air Force from 1951-1955. On November 23, 1957 he married Carol Larrance. Joe was a Manager at Syndicate Systems in Middlebury, where he …